Bruce Power's Unit 3 sets post-refurbishment long-run record

Ongoing maintenance, a positive safety culture among workers, quality craftsmanship, targeted investments and key life-extension activities, have allowed Bruce Power’s Unit 3 to set a long-run record since it was restarted in 2004.

The reactor, which was returned to service in 2004 as part of the Units 3 and 4 restart, eclipsed its record of 293 days on May 22. Setting a new record daily, the unit is continuously providing the people of Ontario with 781 megawatts of low-cost, reliable and carbon-free nuclear energy.

“This long-run achievement is a testament to the reliability and consistency of reactors that have undergone innovative refurbishment projects, as well as the commitment to safety of our people,” said Paul Boucher, Bruce Power’s deputy chief nuclear officer.

“Over the past 14 years, we have returned all four Bruce A units to service after they were shut down in the 1990s. These units are now some of the top-performing CANDU reactors in the world, as evidenced by Unit 3’s record-setting performance.”

Bruce Power’s Life-Extension Program began Jan. 1, 2016, and will feature nearly 40 years of targeted planned maintenance activities in Units 3-8 at key times, including the Major Component Replacement Project from 2020-33, to ensure the site operates to 2064. The Life-Extension Program remains on-time and on-budget.

“Our employees have made a promise to the people of Ontario to hit the targets within our Life-Extension Program in order to maintain a steady supply of low-cost and reliable energy from Bruce Power,” said Boucher said. “This will solidify our role of supplying 30 per cent of the province’s electricity at 30-per-cent less than the average cost to generate residential power long into the future. Unit 3’s long-run record adds another layer of proof that refurbished reactors will play an important role in Ontario’s long-term electricity system.”